Italy knows how to celebrate a victory

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published
8:00 pm EDT, Monday, July 10, 2006

Following Italy's improbable victory over France in the World Cup final, thousands celebrated in the streets and piazzas of Florence until dawn, while thousands more gathered in front of the city's famous Duomo.

Fans danced on cars, waved and wore Italy's red, white and green flag and sang the national anthem. Others formed massive conga lines, held Styrofoam trophies high in the air and set off fireworks as crowds chanted "I-tal-ia!"

The scene was similar in cities and towns across Italy.

Because I'm an American, I've never seen anything close to what took place during and after the match. Not even the celebratory Brazilian parades along Main Street in Danbury could prepare me for how important the World Cup is for the rest of the world.

Before this World Cup, I was not a fan of the world's football at all. My only experience with the sport came when I played soccer in elementary school. In the two years I played I didn't score a goal - which is fine if you're a goalie, but just awful if you're a forward. I was just awful. After that experience, I wanted nothing to do with the sport.

It was by sheer luck that I planned to be on vacation in Italy during the World Cup final. As I realized Italy had a chance to play in that final, I began following the games, hoping Italy would still be in the tournament when I arrived.

Watching the games back home in the states, and seeing the celebrations on Main Street this year for the first time, I began to get a slight feel for the magnitude of the World Cup. Yet nothing compares to seeing firsthand a country watch and celebrate a victory on the world's largest stage.

Before the match began, many restaurants, which mainly just have outdoor seating here, set up TVs on their patios. Those restaurants quickly filled to capacity, and crowds gathered around the edges of the dining area to watch the match.

During the first half, I ate at the only nearby restaurant I could find with available seating. It didn't have a TV and was filled with American tourists. At one point during dinner, cheers went up throughout the city and a waiter marched onto the patio to give everyone the news.

He spoke Italian but the look on his face and excitement in his voice were universal. Italy had scored.

During the second half, I walked around the city looking for a spot to watch the rest of the match. I stopped at a few of the many storefronts where crowds had gathered to watch the match on TVs placed in windows or on the street.

On one quiet side street, I came across a small group watching the match on a tiny TV outside of a restaurant. Four members of the restaurant's staff sat on chairs in front of the TV, telling the one guy still working inside what was going on during the match.

I watched the last part of the match outside a restaurant where a large crowd gathered around a TV on an outdoor patio.

As the match went into extra time, the crowd swelled around the restaurant. Even a group of Italian men playing spin the bottle with American teenage girls felt compelled to watch the closing minutes.

A sense of doom went over the crowd as the match went to penalty kicks, making each kick seem even more dramatic. The crowd erupted into cheers each time Italy scored. As the team scored its fifth and final penalty kick, the all-night celebrations began.

This victory is just what the Italians needed. The country is buried to the top of its boot in a widespread match-fixing scandal. Lacking the star power of France, England and Brazil, no one expected Italy to make it this far.

It really is too bad soccer/football isn't bigger in America. At a time when many issues divide our nation, wouldn't it be amazing to see the entire country come together to get behind something?